More Wicked Than Some
by inu-chan supermeiu
Summary: Part 2 of Stranger than Most (eventual Chlerek) - "Chloe... your mother and I had a brother, too. You see, every power is passed down from generation to generation. Witches, wizards, necromancers… they all inherit their powers, like how a child inherits blue eyes or red hair… Our brother - your uncle - had the same gift you did. But this gift slowly drove him crazy..."
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! LOOONNNNGGGG Time no see! (My bad!) Good news is, I come with a peace offering! I have a few chapters already finished, so hopefully that can make up for some of my time spent away!**

 **Thank you for reading, and let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns! I love hearing from you all!**

 **Disclaimer: These characters belong to the ever so lovely Kelly Armstrong.**

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Waking up, I was expecting to hear the movement of hangers and the quiet but persistent chattering of a young girl getting a new roommate. I was expecting to open my eyes and realize that I was back at the Lyle House, safe and sound, listening to Liz rattle on about how much she dreaded doing the next math assignment.

What I did not expect was complete and utter silence, and opening my eyes to blinding white lights.

Once again, I was was waking up in a strange new place, having no idea where I was or how I even got there. This time, though, there was no one here. There was no Dad or Aunt Lauren like there was in the hospital. No nurses to tell me that the current home I was in was nothing like the horror movies that I had seen.

No, no one was there. Not even a bubbly roommate who had liked going through my things.

The memories came in slow, like water that was slowly pooling around my legs. And although slow and just in my mind, they were no less suffocating.

My mind resurfacing and my eyes adjusting, I crept up off of the thin mattress where the guards must have placed me and rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself up further and remove the sealant that was apparently placed to make sure I never woke again. Exactly how long had I been out? A day? A week? It felt as if my body had been sleeping for decades. My joints creaked with every movement, and if I was being completely honest, I was smelling more like how someone would imagine a necromancer smelling. Wrinkling my nose and slowly stretching out my arms, I took in everything around me.

Now, this. This was what I had imagined the Lyle House to be like. This was exactly how movies had portrayed asylums.

The room was small and perfectly squared, one bright light shining on the ceiling in the middle. The walls were white, the floors were white, and there was nothing but the bed, a giant mirror gazing back at me from across where I was, and a door sidled next to it. The mirror was double-sided, most likely, and I shuddered slightly at the creepiness of it all.

I guess I wasn't allowed any privacy after the little stunt we pulled.

I was about to stand up, but froze. _We._

I stood quickly and looked around again, making sure I didn't miss anything. That I didn't miss the possibility of seeing any _one_.

There were two others, besides Liz and I. Where was Simon? He wasn't with us when we were captured. Derek said that he had made it farther than we did.

And Derek. Where was he? He had made it out alright…?

I shook my head, trying to remember.

No… no, he didn't escape, he turned himself in. The gun was pointed at my head…. And then it moved….

I steadied myself on the wall, leaning my head against the cool tile for a moment.

Derek was caught too. Liz was gone. Was Derek gone too? Did they get rid of him while I was out?

A sharp pain spread through my chest. Even though I didn't know him for very long, it still hurt. Liz, too. They were both there for me in ways my own family couldn't even be. Liz had been a good friend, and Derek… well, he probably wouldn't have considered me a friend, but he was there for me too, albeit a bit more grumpily.

I took a deep breath as I pushed myself off of the wall, narrowing my eyes. I needed to focus. As trapped as I was, it didn't mean I was completely useless. There was information I could get while I was here, and now that I was in a desperate place, maybe now was the time I could test how far my _gift_ could actually go. Now was not the time to be some wallowing damsel in distress.

And the friends I've lost.. Well, I guess they weren't totally lost to me.

I stretched out a bit more before sitting myself down, back facing the mirror, and taking a deep breath. Though I had hardly ever done this before, I figured that summoning a ghost was something that didn't really need that much practice. Similar to riding a bike, I guess. The only practice that I had was trying to pull that ghost in the basement closer, but hopefully summoning was a similar process.

I closed my eyes and focused on everything that I could remember about Liz, hoping that I would be able to get through to her easily. There was another part of me, however, that secretly wished it wouldn't work and that she had somehow miraculously survived and was with Simon. But I knew that it was a false hope, and tried my best to squash that part of me.

It had taken only a few seconds of thinking about her and wishing she was here before I heard a small chuckle behind me.

"Ya know, I guess your power really isn't too different from what they show in movies."

My eyes snapped open and I spun, a small smile on my face. She looked… normal. She was wearing what we had left in, and if I didn't know any better, I would say that she was here the entire time.

"Liz." I said in relief. I stood up and was about to give her a hug, but stopped myself before I could. Liz's smile dropped a bit.

"Liz… I'm -I'm so so-orry… th-this should've n-never-" She shook her head, cutting me off.

"No, it's okay. Well, no, it's not okay, but it's not your fault. You gave yourself up for me. Even Derek gave himself up. We didn't know that they were so…. Evil…. I guess." She stopped and looked down at her shoes before looking back up to me and then around the room.

"I guess they caught you. Did they catch the others too?"

"I-I don't know. Derek said that Simon was far from everything, but I don't know if they went back and found him, or if Derek is even still alive…" I sagged a bit, rubbing my eyes. I didn't know anything, but that was going to change.

If LIz was willing to stick around long enough to help.

I looked back up at her.

"Liz, i-is it okay if you stick around with me for a little longer? I-I don't know what's going on, a-and -"

"And you need a helpful poltergeist for a spy?" She said with a small smile. I smiled a little back and nodded.

"Have… Have you been with us the whole time? Did you happen to see anything..?" I asked, not really knowing how long she would've had to do that.

She shook her head. "No. You were all gone by the time I woke up, and I didn't know exactly where to start… I was at my grandma's when you.. called."

"I'm s-sorry. Di-did you want to go back?" I asked, that sharp pain appearing again. She shouldn't have had to visit her family like that. She should've been alive to do so…

She thought for a moment before sitting down across from me and shaking her head. "No. I just wanted to make sure they were okay. It's too depressing being there but not being seen." She thought for a moment before her face lit up. "But! I did find something out that's pretty cool! Hold out your hand!"

I looked at her, curious, before slowly lifting my hand. She lifted her own and scrunched up her face in concentration. It was a few seconds until she lowered hers down onto mine. I jumped at the feeling of something solid on my hand, and looked quickly back up at her.

"Y-you can…"

"Apparently powers can move with you into the afterlife. All that time I thought I had a poltergeist when really I was the poltergeist all along." A small laugh escaped from the both of us.

We both jumped a bit at the sudden sound of someone banging on the door before opening it and entering. I quickly turned, and fought the urge to go crawling into the corner.

There standing was Dr. Davidoff, smiling happily while pushing around an empty wheelchair. I felt a slight touch on my shoulder before I heard a quick "I'm here."

"Well! It looks like our little Chloe is awake! We were getting worried when you didn't wake up the second day, but it seems you're well enough now."

He slowly came into the room, two guards following with their arms hanging loose. I guess I wasn't considered much of a threat.

I shifted and narrowed my eyes back to the doctor. "Where am I? Where are the others?"

He didn't seem the slightest bit phased. I could see Liz standing tall from the corner of my eye, but made no move to acknowledge it. One thing that movies taught me was to always keep your cards close, and never let anyone know of the advantages you may have.

"Now now, Chloe, no need to be frightened! We're here at the main clinic. While I may have only visited Lyle House, here I'm permanently stationed, along with several other nurses. In fact, your Aunt Lauren works here! Just part-time, but she's here now."

My eyes widened. He was lying. He had to be. "You're lying." I wish I could say that my voice came out strong, but it was wavering, confused.

His smile got impossibly wider, and I couldn't help but be reminded of the things that put me in this hellhole to begin with.

"I assure you I'm telling the truth. In fact, after this little tour we're going to give you, you'll be able to meet up with both your Aunt Lauren and Rachelle." He motioned toward the wheelchair. "Now, I'm sure you're feeling better, but this is a precaution we have to take. You _were_ out for a few days."

I hesitated for a moment, but seeing the guards shift a bit let me know that I had little to no choice. I took a quick breath in before moving slowly over to the chair and sitting myself down in it. Liz stuck close, and when the chair began to move, she made sure to move with me.

"I don't think they're going to hurt you here, Chloe. I think you'll be safe. Especially if your Aunt works here."

I gave a small nod in acknowledgment before tuning in back to Dr. Davidoff.

"There we go! Not so hard, now, was it? Now, I know this room is a little small and has little privacy, so once we're sure that you'll be alright, we'll go ahead and move you to a different room."

I nodded slightly as he turned my chair, taking me out the door and into a long white hallway. There were a few doctors walking here and there, but most payed us little attention as we made our way down and through a few other similar hallways. I tried paying close attention, but gave up halfway through. The halls looked too similar, and my head still wasn't as clear as it usually was. Maybe Liz would be able to remember a little bit more than I could.

Dr. Davidoff continued talking through the trip, pointing out rooms that were meant for different types of physicals, blood work, medical experiments, and so on and so forth. He also had pointed out that there were two sets of hallways containing rooms, one for visitors (or detainees, more like) and one for doctors, nurses, or guards who just needed a place to stay for a bit.

About three minutes past our hall was the main room for 'visitors', where we could hang out to watch tv or to play games. Inside was also a kitchen where we could help ourselves to whatever snacks may be available.

"We like to keep this place as kid-friendly as possible, so that visitors like yourself won't find yourself getting too bored. This is where I'll be leaving you for a bit with Rae, while you wait on your Aunt to come and meet you."

He pushed us towards the doors, where a couple of guards stood at attention and moved to open the door for us.

"You never answered my question, Dr. Davidoff." I said quietly, still trying to take everything in.

He stopped my chair near the entrance, and from what I could see, the room looked like a massive living room, with the dining room and kitchen attached. Not a bad place, but I wasn't planning on staying long enough to really enjoy it.

"Hmm? And what was that my dear?"

I looked up at him, frowning a bit. "Where are the others? Are they here too? You just said that Rae was here."

Dr. Davidoff nodded. "Ah yes, Rachelle is here with us. But I'm afraid that we're hoping that you may be able to help us find the others. Your Aunt will be able to fill you in on the rest." He waved his hand dismissively and turned his head to Rae, who had begun walking towards us.

"Ah! Rachelle! I trust that everything is to your liking?"

She nodded, giving him a wide smile. "You're right! This place is way better than Lyle House! Although, is it possible to get a few more games? The ones here are pretty outdated, and I've already played them."

He nodded his head, his fake smile still in place. "Of course! Just make us a list of some ideal games and we'll see what we can do. Chloe here can help! Would you mind keeping an eye on her for a bit? I'm afraid that she's still recovering."

She looked over to me and gave me a kind smile. "Of course! I'll help her out. No worries."

I looked at her, confused. Why was she smiling like that? Towards these people? Did she not know..?

"Good, good. Her Aunt Lauren will be coming in soon, so you won't have long, but you guys will have plenty of time to catch up later."

With that, Dr. Davidoff waved and walked away, taking his two escort guards with him. The doors shut, and I could still hear the click of the lock echoing in my ears.

"Goodness, they said you were still recovering, not making your way back from the dead. You alright, there?"

I turned back toward Rae and gave a small smile. "Ye-yeah, fantastic." I muttered. I quickly looked around the room, and spotted almost immediately a camera in each corner. Expected, but still creepy. I lowered my voice.

"Rae, are you okay? They haven't done anything to you, have they?"

Rae gave me an odd look before shaking her head and laughing a bit. She walked behind me and took the handles of my chair and pushed me toward the couches, where she sat in front of me.

"Done anything? Besides saddle me with lame-ass games? They've been nothing but nice since I've gotten here. Why would they do anything?"

I could feel Liz hover over me. "She doesn't know… they didn't tell her anything." I nodded slightly, agreeing.

"Rae… what have they told you? About us moving here? Did they give a reason?"

"Well, yeah. You and everyone decided to break out for the night - which, I'm still pissed you didn't invite me but still invited Victoria - and the nurses said that they would have to do some work around the House to improve security." She shrugged, leaning back and stretching out. She looked comfortable, content, and the faculty here seemed pretty capable when it came to covering their asses. It only motivated me more to correct their lies.

"Rae, we weren't breaking out for the night, and there was no way we invited Tori." I started. Being reminded of Tori got me thinking... Did Tori try to escape? And was she here as well? How had she known to escape when we did? If she made it out without being caught, where was she?

I shook my head, stopping the lines of questioning that seemed to take over my brain. First things first, Rae was misinformed, and that needed to change. Now.

Fortunately, this grabbed her attention. "You weren't? Then what were you guys doing? Escaping?" Her eyes widened. "You were trying to really break out."

I nodded. "Rae… There's more going on here than what they're letting on. It's not safe with these guys. We escaped because we thought we were in danger."

"If you really thought that, then why not invite me along to your little "Escape Danger" game?" She snapped. I quickly waved my hands in front of me.

"We thought that you were safe there. We thought that Tori was safe there too. There were strange coincidences, and as far as we knew, you both weren't apart of it." But we were wrong… they had called Tori a witch. That meant that there was a necromancer, a witch, a sorcerer, a half-demon, and a werewolf…

I looked more closely at Rae, my eyes widening. "Rae… R-Rae this is going to s-sound… crazy, b-but… what was the real reason you were sent to Lyle House. What do _you_ think happened?"

She gave a half smile at that. "Well, it turns out that what I thought happened and what really happened aren't so different. I guess the doctors informed you, too? That we're not as crazy as they made us out to be?"

I stared at her, wide-eyed, and nodded, waiting for her to continue.

She sighed. "Well, for me, I can have a bit of a temper when the right buttons are pushed. And... Well, I was at home one day when it happened. All I remember is feeling really warm, and feeling like I was literally about to explode. I started throwing things around the room, and before I knew it, everything was on fire. My parents thought that I had a set of matches on me, but I knew that I didn't." She shrugged and looked down at her hand before looking back up at me with a devious smile.

"You want to see something cool?"

I nodded quickly, already fascinated, but also the tiniest bit afraid.

She smiled wider and, going quiet, she focused on her hand for a solid two minutes before snapping her fingers. A small, red flame appeared on her thumb, growing for only a second before completely disappearing, leaving a small trail of smoke behind.

She leaned back, a proud smile adorning her face at the sight of my shocked one.

"I know. It's pretty cool. I'm not really supposed to be doing anything without the doctors, but I think they'll let this one slide. They've been helping me figure out how to control it. At first, I was pretty upset that they let us think we were crazy instead of actually teaching us, but they said that not a lot of teenagers are able to keep their powers when they hit adulthood, so they didn't want us to get our hopes up just in case. When I got here, they said that they had changed their minds, and that I was more likely to keep mine since I hadn't lost it already."

I nodded slowly, trying to process everything. "D-did they tell you what I was? What the others were?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they said that you are able to see dead people and that Tori is a witch. I think it's a perfect fit, honestly. And they said that Simon was a sorcerer and Derek was a werewolf. They laughed when I asked if that was why he was so broody all the time."

There was one person missing. "And Liz… what did they say about Liz?" I asked, looking at her directly. She looked at me, confused.

"They said they sent her home, that her powers ended up fading away."

My eyes widened as I gripped the chair, and I could hear Liz sigh sadly behind me.

"Rae…" My voice came out rough, and I quickly cleared my throat before I continued, sadly. "Rae, they didn't send Liz home."

"They didn't? So she's here?" A small spark of confusion lit her face.

I shook my head, shaking slightly. "Rae, we need to get out of here." My words came out in a harsh whisper, almost too quickly. "It's not safe. Dr. Davidoff.. He's not looking out for us. What he did…"

Rae leaned over and put her hands on my shoulders. "Chloe, Chloe, calm down. Take a deep breath."

I shook my head. "No, Rae, you don't understand. That night they found us, they did something horrible, Rae. They killed her. They killed Liz."

Rae stared at me for a moment before shaking her head, letting out a long, resigned sigh. "No, Chloe, you're still confused. They said that you would be, after being out for so long -"

I stared at her. "N-No! Rae, you have to believe me! We have to get out of here! It's not-"

The sound of the doors opening stopped me, and Rae and I whirled around to see my Aunt Lauren rushing over.

At the sight of her, I couldn't help but feel my blood turn to ice in my veins.


	2. Chapter 2

**A bit of a shorter chapter up ahead! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: These characters belong to the ever so creative Miss Kelly Armstrong**

"Chloe!"

Rae's hands were quickly moved and replaced by my aunt's engulfing hug, but I couldn't find the strength to raise my arms to return the favor. After a few seconds, she pulled away and gently held my chin, looking around my face to make sure there wasn't any sort of permanent damage. She tsked at what she saw.

"I swear. There was way too much going on under the noses of those nurses at that house. They're supposed to take care of you, not send you back with even more cuts and bruises."

I opened my mouth to say something, but my throat suddenly felt too dry, and I could feel tears start to prickle in the corners of my eyes.

She turned away from me. "Rae, sweetheart, would you mind giving us some time to catch up?"

She nodded and smiled that same smile she gave Dr. Davidoff, assured that these doctors and nurses only cared about what was best for us.

"Of course! I'll go let the guys outside know. Just a heads up, she's still struggling to remember how everything went down."

Aunt Lauren nodded. "Of course, thank you, Rae, I'll come grab you before dinner starts."

Rae got up and said her goodbyes before leaving the room, leaving me alone with Aunt Lauren. As she sat across from me, brushing the hair out of her eyes and looking tired and worn, I couldn't help but feel happy to see her again. It wasn't until I heard Liz whisper in my ear that she would leave us alone for a bit that that happiness rotted away.

Aunt Lauren was here, working with the people who murdered Liz.

Working with people who believed in superpowers, when she threw me to a group home at the first hint of trouble.

She smiled at me, but when I couldn't smile back, and she sighed. "I know, I've been keeping a few things from you, but it was with good intentions, Chloe. I was honestly hoping that what had happened was an episode, and that it would fade again in time."

"A-again?" I asked quietly.

She nodded. "You might not remember, but when you were little, you were constantly telling your parents about boogeymen in the basement, or the nice old women who would come up to your bedroom and ask you what your favorite color was." She laughed quietly and shook her head. "Your mother was so worried about you."

"You and Mom both knew? And you never thought to warn me? To tell me anything?" I asked, my voice rising slightly. They knew. This whole time, I was afraid I was crazy, or that something was wrong with me, but they knew. And they kept it to themselves.

"Necromancy…" she started, her voice dripping in hesitation, "...is a strange gift. Some are able to handle it, but many aren't. Before you were born, we had a death in the family because of it." She sagged a little at this. "Chloe, you didn't know this, but your mother and I had a brother, too. You see, every power is passed down from generation to generation. Witches, wizards, necromancers… they all inherit their powers, like how a child inherits blue eyes or red hair… Our brother - your uncle - had the same gift you did. But this gift slowly drove him crazy. He was barely 21 when he died…." Her eyes stared off for a bit before she shook her head and continued. "It was a long time after that when you were born, but when you started showing signs, your mother and I were scared." She looked up at me then, almost pleadingly. "We didn't want the same thing happening to you. It's why your mother or I never said anything… We thought that if we could fix it…" She stopped, shaking her head. "Edison group, the group we're in now, offered us a solution. So, about the time you were five or six, we took you here. They promised that they had found a way to block this, and, after the next few appointments, it seemed to have worked. It wasn't until recently, that…" she gestured toward me, not finding the right words to say. I looked down at my hands, having a similar problem

After a few seconds of sitting in silence, I decided what I wanted to say to break it.

"Aunt Lauren…. Do you know what they did to Liz?" I looked up at my hands then to see her face pale, and I felt my heart suddenly grow cold.

"I-" she stopped and swallowed before trying again. "I heard the gist of it. That she was becoming too much to handle, and that she had seriously hurt one of the guards. Dr. Davidoff said that she was losing control, and that it was the only way."

I gave a dry laugh. "It looks like Dr. Davidoff has been saying a lot of things." I couldn't help the bitterness that escaped into my voice. In that moment, I felt that the words belonged more to Derek than they did to me, and a part of me ached, still not knowing whether or not he and his brother were still alive.

"No, Aunt Lauren. Liz didn't put up any sort of fighting. She was crying on my shoulder when it happened." My voice cracked at the end, and I put my head down in my hands, rubbing my eyes. Liz was still with me, in fact, she could still be with others, if they wanted to read everything instead of listening. I needed to keep it together, I couldn't afford to break down, not like when Mom died.

I sighed as I looked back up, my aunt Lauren's face even more pale than it was before. At least I could rest easy knowing that she didn't know it was going to happen, nor did she like it.

"Are the others here? Besides Rae?" I asked quietly. "Or are they gone now too?"

She slowly shook her head, slouching forward and staring at the ground. "No." She answered tiredly. "No, they're still out there. Besides you and Rae, the only other child here is Derek."

My head snapped up at this. "He's okay?" I asked, relief beginning to flood through me.

Aunt Lauren nodded, her gaze hardening somewhat, and I couldn't help but think back to that time where she had showed her strong dislike for him.. "Yes, he's alive. But the last I heard he wasn't cooperating well."

The relief that was flooding through suddenly stopped. If he wasn't cooperating…

I leaned over and grabbed my aunt's hands. "Aunt Lauren, is there any way you could take me to him? Maybe I could talk to him -"

She shook her head. "No, I don't have the authority to be where he is. And even if I did, I wouldn't." She squeezed my hands, looking up at me and her gaze softening. "Chloe, he's dangerous, the farther you stay away from him, the better."

I looked at her, surprised. "Aunt Lauren…" I said slowly, taking my hands from hers, "he's just a kid. Liz was just a kid. I've seen dangerous, and he's not it. Your boss, on the other hand…" I shook my head, removing my hands from hers and placing them on the wheels of my wheelchair. "Did you know that Dr. Davidoff put the gun on me too? It was right before he shot Liz. Instead of hiding away and letting me get shot, Derek came out to stop him."

I rolled a little away from her, my eyes narrowing and my voice hard. "It's not Derek that's dangerous."

I turned my chair around, but before I faced the door, there was one last thing she needed to know.

"That cure that you were talking about," I said, pausing. A short sound of movement let me know that she was still listening, so I continued, "it never worked either." I stated. "I just stopped talking about it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: These wonderful characters belong to a Miss Kelly Armstrong!**

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The guards had left me back at the small room, letting me move off of the chair and onto the bed, before leaving with the chair and shutting the door behind them. The room was still quiet, and because I didn't want to bug Liz quite yet, I kept it that way. Instead, I just sat on the bed, my head against the wall.

Well, while I wasn't technically alone here, I could exclude Rae and Aunt Lauren from providing any sort of help. Derek was going to want out, but there wasn't an easy way for us to scheme. Liz would definitely help with that, but I had a feeling that guards who watch supernatural children daily would notice something going on when a message would suddenly appear in each of our jail cells.

Maybe that idea isn't completely crazy though. Liz was smart, maybe she could find a way to communicate with Derek without drawing attention. And maybe we wouldn't need to pass too many messages anyway. They left me with Rae in the common room earlier, maybe Derek would be allowed in there too?

Even if he was allowed in there, there would be extra guards around us, knowing how careful they would be with his strength. The slightest hint of trouble from him, and who knows what they would do? We would be easily caught scheming with all of those guards around. In their eyes, Derek was already suspicious.

I grunted in frustration. There had to be a way to communicate. And once we had that way, we could plan our escape. Simon was still out there, as well as their dad. We had to find him, he would have the answers to all of this, and maybe he would have someone like me around to help teach me more about how I'm supposed to be. I would ask Aunt Lauren questions, but she wouldn't be much help. Whatever her brother had went through, it seemed to scare her and mom enough to take drastic measures. Did Dad know anything? Or was this all kept from him? As much as I loved my dad, it made more sense to me that he was clueless about all of this. Aunt Laurent didn't mention anything about Dad being scared, but she did have that annoying habit of excluding my dad out of everything. So who really knew?

"Hey, Chloe, I'm back." I jumped slightly, but settled back down when I opened my eyes to see Liz. I smiled.

"Hey, have fun?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"You mean when I decided to take another tour of a horror-movie like asylum? No, no I did not. But! I did find some useful information!"

"Really? Already? What did you find out?" This was good. Until I could find a way to communicate with Derek, I could find out as much information as I possibly could. I would finally have something to bring to the table.

Liz took a seat next to me on the bed. "Derek's alive, but I've gotta say that I feel bad for him. He doesn't have as much freedom as you do."

I looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"His room is more like a jail cell. He doesn't even have a bed, and there's a lot less room. And, from what the guards were saying, I don't think they plan on moving him anywhere. It sounds like he's stuck there."

"Not even a bed?" I whispered, looking straight at the mirror in front of me.

"No. And unlike you, he has to have at least two guards watching him at all times. When I came in, yours wasn't here. I think he might be on a short break." Liz hesitated for a second, and I could tell she was hesitating telling me something.

"Liz, what's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"Chloe, you were pretty bruised up when you got here, right? Was Derek the same way?"

I looked away for a second, thinking back. "When we were running, he was feverish. But that's all I can really remember. I think when we got caught he might have fought off some of the guards…" I trailed off. I looked back toward Liz. "Why? What's going on? Is he hurt?"

She shifted a bit, uncomfortable. "He is. Nothing life threatening, but when I came in, he was covered with these small cuts. His nose was pretty busted up too." She sat silently for a minute before continuing. "Chloe, I think they're trying to get more information out of him. About Simon and his dad. We'll need to find a way out of here fast, if we don't want the same to happen to you or Derek to get worse."

I stared at her, horrified. She said that it wasn't anything life threatening, but still… Derek was getting hurt for answers that he most likely couldn't even answer. Sure he knew the rendezvous point, but that was where they had found us. There wasn't much more information that he could give… that I could give. The plan was just to make it out first and see how far we could go from there.

I turned, my back facing the mirror and my front facing Liz, and curled my fists into the crisp sheets that we sat on, angry and more determined than I was before.

"Yeah, we do, and we can't waste much time. I thought maybe if we stayed here a bit, we could gather some information and wait until the time was right, and maybe even convince Rae to help, but we might just have to make a quick plan and pray that it works."

Liz nodded, agreeing. Escaping would be even more dangerous now, but it would have to work. We would just need to plan for as much as we could.

"What do we have that we can use?" She asked, shifting a bit.

"Well, we have you and me to start out with, one of us being invisible and being able to move about freely," I began listing, "they didn't change my clothes, so I still have a few layers and my debit card, which has enough money on it to last us a while once we make it out."

Liz nodded, thinking. "And we'll have Derek, once we break him out. Though I don't know how much help he'll be, if these "questioning" session continue for much longer."

I shook my head, not wanting to think about it. "If we do this quick, then we won't have to worry too much about it."

"But it's still something we need to keep in mind." Liz said gently. I sighed and hung my head a bit, running my hand through my hair.

"Yeah, you're right. We might have to basically carry him out. It'll be hard, but between you and me we could drag him, it just might not be comfortable." I continued thinking, before a quick idea struck.

"Liz, while we were walking around, did you notice any sort of exits? Vents, doors, laundry shoots….?"

She thought for a second, before slowly shaking her head. "Noooo…. Not while I was with you…." all of a sudden her face lifted up. "But! Once I left you with your Aunt, I noticed that outside the common room and down the hall to the right, there were trash shoots! One for biohazards and the other for regular trash!"

I smiled widely. "That'll work! I just need to know where the shoot heads out, and if we can make a quick escape from there." I suddenly thought of Derek's size and looked back toward Liz. "How wide were the escapes? Think a guy Derek's size might be able to fit down there?"

She thought for a moment. "I think so.. It might be a really tight and uncomfortable fit, but as long as he can hunch his shoulders in, I think he'll be fine…'

I nodded. "Good enough for me then. So we have a possible escape route, we just need to think of a way out of the rooms and into the halls without the guards seeing us. And a possible way to talk to Derek."

"I think the rooms - "

Liz was cut off by the sound of the door to my room slamming open. I jumped and swiveled around quickly, finding a slightly familiar face smiling - not so kindly- down at me.

"Well, if it isn't the little necromancer, sitting in the corner of the room whispering secrets. What sort of stories are the ghosts here telling you dear?"

The woman was tall and blond, and her face had a sharp pinch to it that told me immediately not to mess with her. It wasn't until she spoke that I knew who she was. I had heard this voice before, yelling at Tori.

"Y-You're Mrs. E-Enright." I stated quietly, surprised. Of all people, I didn't expect to see her marching through my door.

She gave a small sigh as she crossed her arms and leaned against the mirror, her eyes never leaving me. "I guess that's one good thing about hearing things that nobody else hears… You're able to get the inside scoop on what's going on."

I nodded slightly. Let them know some things, but not all. They knew that I'd be able to get some information, but they didn't know that the ghost giving me information could also grab and move things.

She flipped back her hair and turned her attention toward her nails - a small habit that Tori had definitely inherited from her.

"See, I told Dr. Davidoff that it was useless leading you on to think that we had…. _Selfless_ reasons. I said that we should just get straight to the point with you, but he insisted on playing a child's game. Said that it had worked _so well_ for Rae, and that it should work for you." She looked back up at me then as I narrowed my eyes at her.

"A game he de-decided not t-to play w-with Derek, I hear." I said quietly, deciding not to pretend I didn't already know. Liz had gone quiet, and I made no move to acknowledge she was here, focusing all of my attention to the lady before me. Something told me not to ever turn away from her, lest she, oh I don't know, hit me in the back of the head with a brick and tie me up? I assumed that Tori didn't learn that trick all by herself.

A small, creepy smile played across Mrs. Enright's lips. "See, Chloe, I knew I would like you. You're smart. And you know now what type of people you're dealing with here." She pushed herself off of the mirror and moved to stand closer to me. I couldn't help the straightening of my back in slight fear.

"Since you're smart enough to know who holds all the cards, I'm going to get straight to the point. I want to know where the rest of your little "super group" ran off to, and I want to know now." She demanded, her steely eyes unblinking.

I kept my eyes forward, making sure not to waver. As scary as she was, Liz was here to back me up just in case, and I doubted that this woman couldn't fight what she couldn't see, touch, or hear.

"I-I don't kn-know-" I started, but she quickly cut me off.

"You see, there's another reason that I'm looking for Simon." She reached behind her, clipping off her belt what appeared to be a small, black bag.

"I don't know if Simon or his brother had ever told you about Simon's condition, but Simon's a diabetic, and needs this insulin pouch to keep him up and going." She tossed it over to me, making me scramble to catch it. I stared at it, already fearing for Simon.

"I need you to tell me where he might be."

I slowly shook my head. "I r-really do-don't know…. The pl-plan was to me-meet up at the older p-part of the factory, b-but you guys c-caught us before we could meet up." I said quietly. I gripped the pouch closer to me, looking back up at her. Her gaze was cold, calculating, and it was a few seconds more before she spoke again.

"I see. Maybe we need a change in scenery to maybe find an answer." I looked at her, confused, when she motioned for me to get up.

"Follow me closely and quickly, I don't want to spend all day on this." She demanded as she opened the door. I hesitated for only a second before making my way to follow her, Liz doing the same.

"Careful, Chloe. Tori never wanted to admit it, but even she was scared of her mother." I nodded slightly, keeping almost in step with Mrs. Enright out of the room and observation room into the hallway. Instead of turning towards the common room area, she made her way in the opposite direction, heading in a route that Dr. Davidoff hadn't bothered in showing me.

It was after the next couple turned corners that Liz decided to speak up.

"Chloe, the way she's going… She's taking you to Derek." My eyes widened a bit and shot to her before shooting back to the empty hallway ahead of us. To Derek's room? But why? What exactly did she have in mind? Did she think that if she got us together, we would talk? I looked down at the satchel still clutched in my hands, trying to piece together what exactly she might be thinking.

It was only a few seconds later that we stopped. I looked up to see Mrs. Enright pull out a small I.D. and hold it up to the small keypad that hung outside a door. Once the card was scanned and the door clicked unlock, Mrs. Enright opened the door and escorted me in to a small and dark observation room. It was similar to the one that lied outside of my room, a small desk was the only thing in the room- the only difference was that this room contained two men seated in chairs facing the direction of the two-way mirror. As soon as Mrs. Enright entered, the two men stood up and faced her, greeting her with a simple nod of the head.

"Thank you boys, take a few minutes break. I'll watch over these two for a little bit." The two men nodded, and, without a second glance back towards us, left the room and shut the door behind them. I turned back around to face the mirror, and gave a soft gasp at what I saw.

Liz was putting things mildly. Derek's room shouldn't even be called a room. The entire space would've passed as maybe the size of a small, walk-in closet. Derek barely had two feet passed each shoulder before touching a wall. The length was a little long, however, letting him stretch out his legs and having about five feet until he could reach the double-sided mirror. Still, it was a pretty small room. Nothing in it, except for the bindings that were tightly wrapped around each of his wrists and attached to the wall behind him. It looked like he had a little freedom to move his arms, but not much.

He didn't look much better, either. True to what Liz said, small cuts could be seen around his face, arms, and neck, some disappearing under the hems of his short-sleeved shirt. His face was bruised, and his nose looked like it was almost broken. The way he was sitting didn't look too comfortable either, almost like he was favoring his left side. His eyes were closed, and he had his head leaned against the wall.

I quickly made my way closer to the mirror, my hands going over my mouth as I tried to assess all the damage.

"I see that your little ghost friends didn't tell you much about the condition Derek was in. Well, how nice it is of me to give you a chance to have a closer look."

All of a sudden, I felt her cold hand grab onto my upper arm, and I gave a small squeak as I was suddenly pulled away from the mirror and toward the door, where Mrs. Enright had it open and waiting for when she threw me in.

I fell hard to the ground, grunting in pain as some old bruises reminded me of their presence. The black pouch slipped from my hands, but I wasn't too concerned about keeping it close. I looked up quickly to see Mrs. Enright shut the door behind her, and Liz preparing to jump her. I quickly made eye contact with Liz, shaking my head a bit.

I didn't want Liz to be made known yet. She was the key to our escape. If the guards or Mrs. Enright knew that I had access to a ghost who could move things, I would be watched even more closely, and our chances of escaping would be slim to none.

She got the message, but looked at me unhappily. As Mrs. Enright turned to look at Derek, I quickly mouthed the word "chute" to her, telling her to go and check out our escape route. She nodded once, shooting one last glare at Mrs. Enright before running through the door. I closed my eyes for a second before turning back around to see Derek slowly opening his eyes and blinking confusedly in my direction.

"Chloe?" He rumbled. His voice sounded raspy, like he hadn't had anything to drink in the three days that I had been out. Mrs. Enright quickly leaving my mind. I scrambled up and quickly crawled my way over to him.

"Derek!" I said, my voice filling with concern. I quickly took one of his arms, turning it to see the extent of the damage. I tried to ignore the stab of pain in my heart when he slightly flinched away, but then relaxed.

"You're alive, then." He rumbled. His voice was stale, no relief, no happiness, but I didn't really expect much to begin with. I looked at him and gave a small smile.

I was about to open my mouth to say something, when Mrs. Enright interrupted. "As touching as this scene may be, I have you both here for a reason."

I watched as Derek's eyes moved over toward her, and the look he gave her… well, let's just say I was glad I wasn't on the receiving end. I, instead, kept my eyes on Derek, scanning for any more serious injuries.

"L-Like I said, I st-still don't know wh-where Simon might be. D-D-Derek wouldn't know either. He wasn't supposed to escape with us." I said, a little disappointed that my voice didn't sound as strong as I wanted it to.

"Oh, dear Chloe, I already know that you don't have a clue. However, Derek over here has a few ideas on where Simon might have hid out, don't you Derek?"

My eyes flashed up and back down again quickly, a little caught of guard, but I stayed quiet, finally putting Derek's arm down and turning slightly to face Mrs. Enright.

"You see, Chloe," She drawled, strowling closer to us. I could feel Derek tense beside me, and I began to suspect who was responsible for his damage. "Derek is a very stubborn kid, and I'll admit that he's smart too. He could've escaped with little to no problem. But there was one, _tiny_ thing holding him back." She said, the same wicked smile from earlier showing up.

I glared, holding out my hand slightly in front of Derek. I knew it was a stupid gesture, and that it would accomplish absolutely nothing, but I wasn't going to let her past me without a fight. She was right. If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't have invited Liz. If it wasn't for me being such a terrible liar, he would've been able to escape with his brother.

She stepped a little closer, and both Derek and I tensed further. I felt Derek's hand try to brush mine away, but I quickly slapped it away, keeping my eyes in front of me. Mrs. Enright's smile just grew.

"It does make me wonder, though… If he was willing to give _himself_ up to keep you from a hole between your eyes, what else is he willing to give up? Simon? Maybe he even has an idea as to where his dear, old dad could be…"

Too late, I realized what she had in mind. Before I could react, she grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Derek. I gasped slightly as I stumbled to stand, her nails already digging into my arm.

She yanked my arm up high at an uncomfortable angle, smiling down at me. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I met her eyes.

"Chloe, your dear ghost friend didn't tell you who was interrogating Derek, now did they?"

I kept my mouth shut and tried my best to glare without looking too scared. As frightening as she was, I knew she wouldn't kill me. Apparently I was important enough for Dr. Davidoff to keep alive, and something told me that she didn't have any authority over him.

"And your little ghost friend didn't happen to mention what I'm capable of?"

No, she hadn't, but I wasn't about to tell her that. Instead, I mustered up all my possible courage and did the one thing I always fantasized doing to an evil bad guy.

I spit in her face.

The look of shock and disgust on her face was enough for me to realize that I may have crossed a line, but I didn't care. That face was going to be permanently etched into memory.

My moment of victory, however, was just that. A moment. She used her other hand to slowly wipe her face, and once she was done wiping her face on her sweater, she slapped me with enough force that I saw stars. She dropped me on the floor quickly, and I had enough awareness to at least catch myself before my face could hit the ground.

"Really, Chloe, I thought you at least would have some manners."

I gave a small grunt and a whine as I felt a kick to my side. It wasn't too rough, but it was enough to knock some of the breath out of me. I place my hand on my side and looked up to see Mrs. Enright looking down on me, her hand reaching out toward my head. Distantly, I heard a growl from the back of the room as I felt her nails dig through my scalp and give a tug at my hair. I grabbed at her hand, trying to make her let go, but her grip was just as stubborn as she was. My eyes started to water from the pain.

Under her breath, Mrs. Enright muttered something that wasn't remotely close to English before stopping and putting her hand close to my face.

"Now Derek, I hear you like to learn, so here's a quick lesson about witches. Like wizards, we can prep spells, and later we can finish them using only one or two words." Before I realized she was done talking to Derek, I felt a huge surge of electricity flow through my spine. My jaw snapped shut and my muscles tightened to the point of shaking. My lungs felt frozen, and for those few seconds, I felt as if I had gotten struck by lightning.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the lightning stopped, and it left me weak and gasping for breath in its absence. Mrs. Enright let go of my hair, and though I tried to catch myself again, my arms were too weak, and I fell hard onto the floor. Through my ringing ears and efforts to sit back up again, I could hear Mrs. Enright distantly speak, and Derek growl in response. By the time I managed to get my arms to hold my weight, I felt a hand wrap around my throat and pull me up. The grip was firm, but it wasn't choking, yet. Just enough to threaten me not to try anything. I held still, but I made sure to keep my glare as steady as I could, ignoring the tears that ran down my face.

"Poor thing," Mrs. Enright cooed. "You look a little bit rattled. Don't worry, I won't use that spell again for a while. The human body can only stand to get hit three times before one of your organs rupture. Your so small, though, so we'll stop at one. Your nose is even bleeding from just the first hit." She chuckled darkly and turned away from me, facing Derek.

"There's no need to look so stressed, Derek. If you would just give me a hunch of where your brother or father might be, dear little Chloe here will be quietly put back into her quiet room with no more trouble."

Behind Mrs. Enright, I saw a form start to appear, and realized with a start that Liz was getting ready to fight.

"No!" I rasped out. I felt the grip on my throat tighten slightly, but I kept my eyes on Liz until she relented and backed away, looking frustrated.

Mrs. Enright turned to me, mistaking my answer for disobedience.

"Oh, so you still have some fight in you, do you? Well, if you're going to act all big and bad like Mr. Werewolf over here, I guess I'll just have to treat you like him." I wavered slightly, but one quick look toward Derek solid my resolve. He fought against his bindings, angered, but he looked torn. Torn between helping the girl he's only known for a week or two in front of him, or keeping his family's whereabouts a secret.

I wasn't going to let him make that decision. I looked back toward Mrs. Enright, thinking of something quick.

"I don't know where Simon is," I started, my voice sounding less hoarse, "but I know what direction he might be in."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to the Miss Kelly Armstrong!**

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Mrs. Enright looked pleased for a moment before she muttered something quietly under her breath. She then turned her words toward me.

"Well, I guess it's a start." She uttered a another phrase and a long, thin sting dug its way down my shoulder. I gasped and looked down quickly to find a small, long cut bleeding through my shirt. She released my throat and I backed away from her quickly, pressing my hand into my shoulder. She didn't look the slightest bit phased.

"That was just a warning," she started, lounging back against the mirror and taking her time inspecting her nails. "Any false information given and I'll be forced to take action. Understand?"

I nodded, taking a quick peek at my shoulder to see that the cut wasn't severe, but it was enough to sting. I looked back to her.

"I-I understand."

She nodded. "And, if I do believe you, but it turns out to be a wild goose chase, these kind of future meetings will only get worse."

I nodded again, already planning on escaping before another meeting could even happen. She studied me for a moment before nodding. "So tell me, what " _area"_ do you think Simon may be?"

I took a small deep breath, preparing my lie, and took a quick glance at Derek. He was looking down, refusing to meet my eyes. It stung a little, to think that he actually believed I might betray them. I tried not to take it too personally.

"W-When Derek and I m-made it to the older p-part of the factory, he s-said that he could tell th-that Simon had been through there recently, but had left a bit ago."

Mrs. Enright nodded, motioning me to go on. I sighed and looked down at my hands, mustering the most guilty look that I could accomplish.

"W-Well, D-Derek said that his tr-trail v-veered off into th-the wooded area p-past the storage area of the factory." I said, thinking back to where Derek and I had hid between boxes and escaped. Hopefully they would see the broken window and think that Simon had really escaped past that way.

"The storage area…" She said slowly. "That wasn't too far from where we found you two." She stated. I looked back up to her to see slight suspicion in her gaze. I just nodded.

"W-we were trying to find him."

She nodded, and turned her head toward Derek. Whatever she saw, she must've convinced herself that I was telling the truth, because in the next second she stood, grabbing my arm and pulling me up.

"Well, I see this little pow-wow session between friends was productive." I winced as her grip tightened. "I'll let little Miss Chloe back into her room, and leave you be for a bit, Derek. I apparently have a little field trip to make. You two will see each other again this afternoon if this trip doesn't yield any results." With that, she began pulling me out of the room. I shot a quick glance at Derek, seeing him stare at me.

It may have just been my imagination, but it looked like he was scared. Scared, because he knew that I had lied, and that the next time he saw me, things wouldn't end on the same pleasant note that it had ended in just now.

I shook my head slightly, and gave a quick smile. Hoping that he got the message that I had a plan.

From the split second look of shock in his eyes, I could tell that he did.

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Mrs. Enright, the so kind and gentle woman that she was, haphazardly threw me against the floor and slammed the door shut without another word, leaving me stinging and sore. I felt a slight touch on my shoulder and smiled a bit.

"You okay?" Liz asked as she appeared in front of me.

I nodded, pushing myself up and making sure my back still faced the mirror.

"I'm fine. But we need-" I stopped myself as I looked around in shock, finding myself completely alone in the room. Liz had just vanished, and a small chill ran down the length of my spine.

"L-Liz?" I whispered, looking around the room. I slowly stood up, keeping my eyes open for any sort of movement, but there was nothing. I slowly backed myself up to the wall my bed was on.

After a few moments of scanning, I sighed and sat on the bed, still somewhat alert. Maybe Liz had something she suddenly had to take care of? Maybe something called to her? I shook my head, trying to not to let the panic set in.

She was probably fine, maybe she just popped up somewhere without realizing that she had the power and ability to do that now.

I think ghost could do that, right? She just appeared out of nowhere when I summoned her. Should I try summoning her again? Or did she leave on purpose?

I sat there, contemplating for a few seconds more when out of the corner of my eye, a shadow raced through. I jumped and turned, still seeing nothing, but a slow and seductive voice weaved its way into my ears.

"Oh, child," the feminine voice began, "no need to worry for your acquaintance." I looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of what was talking to me. The hairs on my arms rose, and my fingers began to shake as they clutched onto the thin blanket on top of the mattress.

"Wh-what..?" I asked quietly, still looking around me. There wasn't anything, no shadows, no figures, nothing. The only thing changing was the center light in the room slowly becoming more dim, casting an eerie glow around the room.

"I just put her… outside for now, so that you and I may have a little chat. She'll be safe." I jumped at the feeling of breathing down my neck, and I quickly turned to still find myself alone in the room.

"Ou-outside?"

"Mmm." The voice confirmed, moving around me and further towards the center of the room. "Outside. I'll give her back to you once we've finished."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. "Fin-finished? Wh-who are you? Wh-What -"

"What am I? Oh, how to explain in a way a human could understand…" The voice seemed thoughtful, and the light in the room suddenly stopped darkening, staying at a warm glow that admittedly had my eyes feeling better at receiving a nice break from the harsh light. A sense of quick relief flooded through as I realized that I wouldn't be left in the dark, but it quickly washed away once the voice spoke again, still using the same calm and soothing voice.

"I guess _Underworld-ling_ would suffice, seeing as though 'demon' definitely will not due. Nasty bugs, those are…" She drifted off.

"B- _Bugs?!"_ I sputtered, my eyes going wide. I knew that I had never met a demon, and that Rae was even _half_ demon, but weren't demons supposed to be powerful creatures? Things that could kill without any sort of hesitation? A threat?

"Yes, my child. Short-living things that attack in the night. There are some rather stunning ones, like butterflies, but nothing more than insects. Though you humans don't live that long either… So fragile, so subject to change, and yet so interesting to observe. I guess you humans would be more like flowers. No wonder you all attract demons so well."

"Wh-why can't I s-see you?" I asked carefully, growing more and more weary the longer she talked. If this... _underworld-ling_ thought demons were just insects, just how powerful was she? How _old_ was she?

"Oh how I would love to show you my form child, to see your amazement and your wonder. But I am afraid that I am too weak. I'm stuck here, in this building, with a trap that's been quickly draining my energy for decades. It was my fault really. So gullible I was, thinking that humans were honest and simple creatures. Your species has a certain… cunning that is both admirable and annoying." She let out another sigh, and the light above me seemed to pulse with it. I couldn't help but feel myself slowly relax, her calm voice soothing. I shook my head, trying not to let my guard down too much, just in case.

Her voice sounded again. "You see, small one, I was called upon from the other world by a large group of human specials. Witches, wizards, shamans, necromancers…. They had all gathered together, hoping that by perhaps studying one of my kind, they could find the answers that they sought about the human life. Lucky for them, it was I who answered their call, and we had struck a deal. They would be able to ask me anything, to run simple experiments on me, but in return, I was to be offered four children."

"Sa-sacrifices?" I stuttered out, instantly afraid.

A small, quiet chuckle filled the room. "You humans and your barbaric thinking." Her voice was slightly sharp, as if I had offended her. I pushed myself farther on the bed, curling in a bit in fear. At the action, a small sigh escaped the room, and I feel warmth spreading through me. I unconsciously relaxed again.

"No, my child, I am nothing like the demons that roam this earth or the Gods that humans believe in. I was interested in humans. They were, and still are, so strange to me. How you all could be so different, and yet so similar, how you could hate in one moment but love in the next, and how some of you have evolved to something wonderful, while some have evolved into something so dark." She paused, and I felt something pull on my hair gently.

As frightened as I should have been, my body was relaxed, even calm. I wondered absent-mindedly if this was this thing's power, and if I could relax, or be more scared about when she was finished with me. Was that her end game? Calm me down so that when she's ready, she would be able to strike quickly? It was a terrifying thought, but I still couldn't find it within myself to care as much as I should have.

"Four children," she continued. "A child of life and death, a child of man and beast, a child of wish and curse, and a child of weakness and strength."

"You wanted supernatural children." I said, slightly surprised.

"Yes, I wanted three supernatural children, but the fourth, I wanted to be without. A child of weakness and strength. A child who, although lacked any power, had the strength to go through and fight for their life."

"However, you humans are not bound by the same laws that my kind are bound by. When one of my kind give their word, we are bound by that word, and it is impossible for us to break it. I learned the hard way that lying comes easily to humans, and was trapped here because of it. I would allow them to study and learn from me, I said, to not do any harm onto any human. I allowed them run simple experiments. Whether it was because these humans did not want to hand over children, or simply because they had planned on it from the beginning, they learned of a way to trap me here. I've been here ever since, supplying power to the special humans who know how to withdraw it from me."

The light was severely low now, and her voice had a cold edge to it. I fought back the chill that threatened to take over.

I swallowed. "I-I'm sorry that they d-did that to you…. B-But I d-d-on't understand… why t-tell me?"

The light became a little brighter, and the cold chill that was present in this being's voice had vanished.

"Sweet child, this is not the first time that I have been aware of your presence, nor of your wolf's. The first day you came, you were so very small, and your poor mother… You could see the stress that she was under, worrying about the fate of her sweet daughter. However, the scientists here made a false promise to get rid of your power. Instead, they have turned it into something terrifying… something absolutely gorgeous."

I listened closely, flinching only slightly as I felt something run through my hair again, and I was reminded of when my mother would play with my hair. I gulped and tried to keep the tears from my eyes.

"Your power is essential to my freedom, and I wish to make a deal with you, child. The deal is this."

She paused, and the light shined bright for a moment before going back down. I shook with the sudden power and strength of her voice.

"My promise to those back then still remains. I will answer any questions, I will allow any experiments, and I will not harm any human. However, I will add to this deal a part that will benefit you directly, Chloe Saunders."

"I will help you escape, along with your wolf and your ghost. I will be there with you, as you travel, to help protect you from any future harm, and, until my power has fully returned and I may return home, I will stay with your offspring, to offer them protection as well. Think of me as a familiar, who will be near you always. These services will be provided to you if you choose to first free me of my cage."

I balked a bit, surprised. "M-me? But h-how do I know that you won't just go on a rampage once I free you? O-or that your whole story wasn't just some sort of lie? How would I even free you?" I asked, my words spilling out in a rush.

"I suppose that this may seem daunting to you, child, and I know of how many tricks can be pulled during negotiations such as these. But there is no way to further prove how bounded I am by my promises. I must ask that you take that risk. I must also ask that you should keep in mind how long Mrs. Enright has been gone already, and what may happen when she returns."

At the thought of Mrs. Enright, my hand unconsciously moved to my shoulder, where the scrap had stopped bleeding, but still held a bit of a sting. She was right. Mrs. Enright was not someone to take lightly, and more damage to both me and Derek could significantly lower our chances of escaping. A sense of foreboding, however, kept me for agreeing outright.

"Why w-would you w-want to make another deal with a human? They've b-betrayed you before…"

"Another good question child." She praised, her voice still just a calm whisper floating through the room. "You see, in my time watching humans, I have learned how to tell the honest from the dishonest. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, as you humans put it." There was a slight pause. "Besides, I do not ask of much in this deal, and your end of the deal must come first before I fulfill my end. It would be hard for you to trick me when you've already given me the freedom that I have wanted."

That made sense. But there was still one more concern.

"And the four children you were promised… do you still intend on collecting?" I said, shifting uneasily on the bed. I wouldn't feel right releasing something into the world and then having it kidnap four children.

"Ah, yes, my children…" the underworld-ling drawled. "Well, if you are able to free me, I will be bound to you and your future generations. I will be bound to one of the children I have requested - a child of life and death. And, by traveling with you and your friends, I will be able to study the others. So, in a way, I will already be getting what I once requested." She stated, a happy tone entering her voice near the end.

"You child, are a child of life and death. Your wolf is a child of both man and beast, this _Simon_ of yours that has escaped is a child of witch and curse. I will only be missing one child, and once you are done with your adventures and have settled down, I will look for this last child."

"Y-You wouldn't kidnap this child… would you?" I asked, a little sheepishly. It was a legitimate concern, but seeing as though this thing sounded as if it could smite me at any moment, I wasn't exactly eager to anger it.

"Nonsense," the creature chuckled. "You are familiar with orphanages, aren't you? Although, maybe if I came across a child who absolutely _needed_ to be kidnapped…" The voice sounded thoughtful toward the end, and I couldn't help but feel slightly stupid for not thinking of that.

All of a sudden, the light in the room turned bright, blinding me for a split second before calming back down.

"Child, I hate to rush you, but Diane Enright has returned, and does not look pleased. I can help you and your friend escape, but I need you to decide. Are you willing to take the risk of trusting me? Are you ready to make a deal?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to a Miss Kelly Armstrong!**

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"Are you sure about this Chloe?" Liz asked, looking nervous.

Once I had agreed to try, the underworld-ling had allowed Liz back into the room. Liz, who had looked upset about being thrown into the guards' observation room and was able to see everything, but not hear. After she had returned and caught her up, she paced around the room while I continued to sit on the mattress, my mind already made up.

"I-I think so… I don't like it, but I know that Mrs. Enright is back, and if Derek or I get hurt any further…"

"You both might not be able to make it out of here alive." Liz said, slumping in defeat. I looked away, ashamed that I was still living and breathing while Liz didn't even have a fighting chance.

"I have to do my part. I can't just sit back and wait for another of us to get seriously hurt…. Or worse." I said, shivering slightly. Liz just nodded, coming over to sit by me.

"Fine, but if she tries to pull anything…"

"I'll make sure to watch my back." The voice said, it ringing with slight humor. "I don't mean to rush you children, but time isn't exactly on your side."

I nodded. "O-Okay, but what do I do first? How do I even get you out?" That was the thing - if I couldn't get her out of her trap, then all of this debate would have been for nothing. Mrs. Enright would come in, haul me away to the torture room, and make sure Derek and I would never breathe a lie again.

I couldn't repress the shudder that passed through me at the thought.

"You are powerful, child, more powerful than any necromancer that I have come across. Only imagine my voice as a rope, and pull. Pull as if you are pulling a body out of the water."

I closed my eyes, ignoring the slightly dark comparison and focused on her voice, feeling around it and imagining a small light attached to the voice. I gave a slight tug, testing.

"Good." The voice congratulated, sounding more and more excited by the second. "Just like that, but until I'm fully into your dimension."

I nodded and continued, a little more hopeful now that I could do this. I reached for the voice again, and, gripping the imaginary rope in my mind, gave a longer and stronger pull. Through my eyelids, I could see the light in the room slowly become brighter, and I tried my best to put it out of my mind. Any distractions and I may slip up, and miss my chance completely.

"Almost there, child. So close…" The voice whispered. The voice was so clear that it took me a moment to realize that the voice wasn't sounding in the room around me, instead it was in my mind, working hard to help me drag it to shore.

I took a deep breath, and, with a last burst of strength, gave a final, strong pull.

I gasped and opened my eyes as I felt the connection snap, and heard a burst of shattering glass. Liz shrieked as the light in the room went out and we were covered in darkness.

Everything in the room was silent for a moment, the only sound I was able to make out was heavy breathing, and it took me a moment to realize that it was my own breathing that I was hearing. I tried to calm my breathing, and ran my hand across my forehead to find that sweat had pooled on my face and neck.

Apparently pulling creatures from where they were bound is hard work.

Suddenly, a small light filled the room, and it took me a second to realize that the emergency lights had been switched on. I looked over to Liz, my eyes still adjusting, and she looked back at me, confused and slightly scared.

"D-do you th-think it worked?" I asked quietly.

The response that I got wasn't from Liz, but was instead from the building itself, shaking and spewing out alarms like it was the end of the world. Liz and I jumped up off the bed, standing at ready. Suddenly, the door to my room slowly opened.

Liz and I waited for a moment, waiting for someone to come in, but instead, a small, Tawny Owl hopped out, ruffling out its copper feathers. It's dark eyes looked around until it spotted me, and oddly enough, turned to look straight at Liz for a second before bouncing closer.

"What…" I began quietly.

At the sound of my voice, it stopped.

" _Don't be afraid, child."_ I jumped at the sound of the underworld-ling's voice in my head. " _This, unfortunately, is the form that I must take for now. My power is not strong enough to take a human shape quite yet."_ At that, the owl flew up, forcing both Liz and I to flinch away slightly as it made its way toward us. After circling me for a second, the owl - or, underworld-ling- floated down onto my shoulder, slightly irritating my skin under my shirt with its nails. Slowly, I raised my hand to it, stopping part-way. The owl looked at my hand for a second, then back at me before slowly closing its black eyes and leaning into my hand. I couldn't help the small smile that formed.

"What's going on?" Liz asked, still looking a bit freaked out. She stared at the owl on perched on my shoulder, mystified, as I continued to stroke its feathers.

"Th-this is the underworld-ling, I g-guess." I said quietly. The owl slowly opened her eyes.

" _This is the only way we can communicate, my child, since owls don't possess the same set of vocal chords. So tell your friend, that yes, I am the underworld-ling. Now that we have struck a deal, and you have fulfilled your side, you may call me Albia. Now, it is time for me to fulfill part of my promise, and help you and your friend escape."_

Just then the room began to shake, and shouts through the hallways could be heard.

" _Run, child, to Derek's room."_

Not waiting a second longer, I told Liz quickly to follow before running out of the door and into the observation room, where no guard could be seen. Taking a quick breath of relief, I opened the second door and peeked through, still feeling the building shake and seeing pieces of rubble fall to the ground.

"What's going on?" Liz asked again, staying close. Seeing no one around, I quickly made my way out of the door and down the hallway to the corner.

"Albia is the owl - o-or the underworld-ling. S-she said we have to get out of here now." I peeked around the corner, but stopped to see that Liz had just walked right out, checking to make sure the coast was clear before motioning me to continue walking.

"Okay… well, I guess an owl is harmless enough. Is she the cause of this… earthquake?"

" _This is the result of my release. The earthquake shouldn't be too strong, but it provides the perfect distraction."_

I suddenly felt the owl leave my arm, flying down the hallway and turning down the next intersection toward where we were heading. I relayed the information back to Liz, who smiled.

"You know, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. She works fast."

As soon as we turned the hallway, we slid to a stop, our eyes widening in horror.

" _I did not hurt them."_ The owl - Albia- stated calmly. " _It's a simple trick from home. These humans are simply asleep, and will wake in a few minutes."_

Along the hallway and right outside of Derek's door layed about seven guards, all strewn about on the floor. Although her words assured me a little, I still bent down to check to make sure the guards were still alive. I sighed in relief as I felt calm and steady breath against my hand from the guard I knelt by. I looked up and nodded to Liz.

"They're fine, just asleep." I said, smiling a bit. Liz shivered slightly before turning back to the owl.

Albia had started pecking at a guards belt, trying to get something from it. I quickly walked over to see that she had been pecking at the guard's I.D., and I quickly grabbed it while letting her jump back onto my arm and moving onto my shoulder.

"Come on, Derek's door is right over here." Liz said, already heading over. I followed her lead, noticing the building falling about even more now, even large pieces of rubble falling. Quickly sending a prayer that the guards would wake up before they were hurt, I quickly scanned the I.D and opened up Derek's door to find the guards absent, and Derek eyeing the walls around him wearily.

"Liz, can you look to see if any of the guards have the key to Derek's chains?" I asked quickly, scanning the I.D. again to open the door. Liz nodded and vanished, and I quickly pushed the door open to find Derek tensed up. Once he realized it was me, he relaxed a bit before making eye contact with the owl and tensing again. A slow growl escaped from him, I hesitated going further.

"What." He demanded, "Is that." His glare had gone ice cold, and I stood there shocked, before shaking my head and moving closer.

"N-Not a fan of owls?" I asked, shakily, the adrenaline from finally escaping continuing to rush through me. I wanted to continue running, but I had to wait for Liz to find that key before we did anything.

"That is not an owl." He snapped. "I don't know what it is, but it's not an animal."

" _What a perceptive young child! It must be his instincts, or even his sense of smell… I'll have to keep that in mind."_ Albia said, sounding pleased that her little disguise was seen through.

I nodded, putting my hands up in the air, trying to calm him down.

"She's not, but she's a friend." I said quickly seeing a flash of something in the corner of my eye. I turned to see Liz holding up the key, and I quickly grabbed a hold of it before turning back to Derek and bending down, reaching the locks on his hands. He stiffened as I got near.

"I'll explain the rest later, but we have to leave... _now._ Mrs. Enright was already back before this started, and I have a feeling that she's going to be hunting us down the first chance she gets."

I struggled getting the key into the hole, my hands shaking like crazy from my frayed nerves. I didn't realize I was taking so long until I felt Derek's hand on top of mine, stopping me before taking the key himself and unlocking his first hand before moving on to the second on.

"Fine." He said. He stood then, slowly, and stopped right before he could completely straighten. His arms were still covered in cuts, and his left hand came across to clutch at his side. He eyed the owl wearily before looking back toward me.

"A-Are you okay to move? D-Do-" He held up his other hand to stop me.

"I'll be fine, just get us out of the building." He snapped. I nodded before turning toward Liz.

"Do you remember where the doors are? I know the shutes were an option, but it might not be safe to go that route right now." I said, gesturing toward the worsening condition of the building.

Liz nodded. "Yeah, follow me."

I repeated the message to Derek, who simply nodded before letting me lead the way out. I quickly kept in step with Liz, while Albia jumped off of my shoulder to fly ahead, keeping up more with Liz and leaving us two behind. I looked behind me to make sure Derek was keeping up to find that he was right by my side, slightly leading now that he could see where the owl was headed. At first it seemed that maybe his side was just fine, but after looking more closely to see the sweat on his forehead and the narrowing of his eyes at the pain, I knew that wasn't necessarily the case.

After a couple turns through the hallways, Albia circled back to land on my shoulder as Liz stepped to the side of one door. There was another scanner here, and I quickly took out the card to scan.

The scan, however, didn't let out any indication that it had worked, and when I had tried pushing on the door, the door still wouldn't open. I looked to Liz in panic.

"The scanner's down. It didn't work."

"Move." Derek stated, backing up a bit. I looked at him questioningly, but after a second I understood, and stood clear of the door.

I looked over to where he had backed up, concerned. "But aren't-" I didn't have the chance to finish before he was already running full speed toward the door, his shoulder already bracing for impact. It was only a split second later and Derek was full on crashing into the door, the frame in the middle bending and the glass parts shattering onto the floor. Although the door didn't completely break down, the broken glass left two rectangle-sized openings for us to crawl through before we were outside of the building.

Derek didn't even stop to assess the damage done to his arm or the scenery outside. Quickly grabbing my arm once I got through (and mistakenly shaking off Albia) and pulling me to the parking lot. Quickly removing his arm from his side, he fished into his pocket pulling out a set of keys and quickly pushing on the car alarm. I stood in shock as a car to our far right went off, leading us to a small, older car. Derek quickly unlocked the doors and pushed me to the passenger side before running around and getting into the driver's side.

I looked to see that Albia had somehow gotten in before Derek had shut my door, and was now sitting in the back seat with Liz, who looked absolutely giddy. I gave her a smile back and turned back to the front, seeing Derek pull out of the parking spot. I quickly put my seatbelt on, watching the road ahead of us as Derek sped through the lot, turning off onto the nearest exit and making his way through the area before finally finding an exit and turning off onto the highway.

It wasn't until a couple minutes later when my body finally decided to edge off of its adrenaline high, and I could feel myself sinking into the small seat, my body heavy and exhausted.

I turned slightly toward Derek. "Wh-where did you find the car keys?" I asked quietly. His eyes snapped to me real quick before snapping back to the road.

"One of the guards outside that were still asleep. He had it on his belt." He grumbled.

"Good thinking." I said with a small smile. "Faster to drive away than to run."

"For now. We'll have to ditch the car soon. They'll be able to trace the plates."

I nodded. "That's true…. We'll have to get to where we're going fast then….." I paused for a second. "Where are we going?"

"Back to the old factory. Simon's trail will be old, but I should still be able to find it. Once we find it, we'll ditch the car somewhere and take the nearest bus to get out where they won't be able to find us."

"Got it." I said quietly. I thought back for a moment before looking nervously back up at Derek.

"Hey… what they said at the hospital… about Simon being a diabetic… that's not true, right?"

"It's true."

I could feel my face draining. "S-so, th-that pouch…"

Derek waved his hand as if brushing a fly away. "The one they had was the extra. He has the other one with him at all times. It was a weak attempt at trying to get information out of you."

I sighed in relief, slouching back into the chair. "Oh. That's good then." I said. I smiled slightly and closed my eyes for a bit, resting and finally not worried about someone else dying on my account.

Rae and Aunt Lauren's faces appeared in my mind, but I wasn't worried too much about them. Aunt Lauren was actually working for them, and hadn't helped me escape. She probably didn't even know that I had escaped yet. And Rae… she seemed to be making a lot of progress with her powers, and although I had tried to convince her to leave, she was set on believing that she was better off there.

I wasn't planning on leaving them there, of course. Where they were was still dangerous. But Derek and I were in the most danger, and perhaps after we found their dad and Simon, we could find a way to prove to Rae and Aunt Lauren that the group the work for isn't as kind as they painted themselves to be.

That brought up another question. Just how many supernaturals did they trick? How many have they experimented on in the past? They seemed to be a pretty set up organization, so we couldn't have been the first group, could we? I checked in the rearview mirror, seeing Albia sleeping soundly, and Liz stroking her feathers absent-mindedly as she stared out the window.

Maybe Albia could answer my questions. She had been trapped there long enough to eavesdrop and see all that had happened. She had even known me from previous visits, had even known Derek…

We had sat in silence for about a half hour before Derek had taken an exit to the outskirts of Buffalo, where the factory near Lyle House was located. And, after another two minutes, Derek pulled up onto a dirt road, driving for a little bit before stopping completely. I followed his lead of unbuckling and getting out of the car, Albia flying out of my door and perching on top of my shoulder as I turned toward Derek.

"Are we close to the factory?" I asked, looking around a bit. I couldn't see the factory, but the trees surrounding us were blocking my view. The path ahead seemed to grow thinner and thinner before altogether disappearing.

Derek rolled his shoulder a bit, wincing at the pain of both his side and from where he rammed the door earlier. I couldn't see any of it because of his shirt, but I knew that his shoulder at least would be bruised for a while.

"A few miles. It would be too dangerous to park directly at the factory." He rumbled, before looking wearily to the bird on my shoulder and glaring. "What is it." He demanded suddenly. I could feel Albia's feathers ruffle, before she settled back down. I reached over and patted her head, and she closed her eyes and leaned into my hand.

It was still a little hard to process that this tiny bird was something that compared demons to _bugs_ , of all things, but I guess being a necromancer with a ghost friend and a werewolf driver was pretty strange too.

"I-I'm not really sure." I said quietly, dropping my hand. I put my hands together and looked down at them, feeling more and more like a child who picked up a stray and was trying to defend keeping it.

"Sh-she spoke to me at the hospital, and said that she could help us escape. I free her from a trap and she helps us escape and promises not to hurt anyone. And she kept her promise."

I looked up to see Derek's eyes narrow dangerously as he leaned forward and placed his hands on top of the car.

"Don't you think it's a bit _dangerous_ , going around freeing things that probably had a _reason_ for being trapped?" His voice sharp, and I could hear the condescending tone hiding behind his anger. I glared back at him, refusing to let him make me feel stupid after all the risks I had just taken to get us free.

"I took a necessary risk after weighing the options, Derek." I grit out. "Mrs. Enright was on her way back, and I didn't necessarily feel like getting beat or shot up full of lightning again, or watching you go through the same."

He backed off a bit at that, his voice not as steely, and his arms sliding off of the top of the car.

"Fine. So this… _thing…_ " He started, slightly unsure, but still plenty upset, "is it some demon?"

I shook my head, crossing my arms and holding his glare. "No. She said that she was some... _underworld-ling._ That she was invited here to teach and learn about humans and her kind, but ended up being tricked into a trap."

He thought for a moment, glaring at Albia before finally slamming his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I don't like it, but it's too late now. Are you sure the owl won't report back to the hospital?" He demanded again, pulling away from the car and heading off, leaving me to jog to catch up.

" _Stubborn, I see, and very protective… must be the alpha of the pack. Betas and Omegas tend to put up less of a fight"_ Albia drawled, struggling to regain balance on my shoulder. She finally gave up, choosing instead to fly ahead of us and land on one of the low-hanging branches. I tried not to laugh at how wrong it was to think that Derek may be something other than bossy and direct. Protective didn't really match, though, except I guess when it came to Simon and his dad.

" _No,"_ Albia continued, " _I will not report back to the Edison Group, thank you very much. They're my enemies just as much as they are yours."_

" _Albia.."_ I corrected Derek as I reached him, slightly out of breath and still just as angry, "says that she's not reporting back to the Edison group. They're her enemy too."

He kept his gaze forward, his pace still fast even though his arm still hovered by his side. "So she talks to you." He rumbled.

I nodded. "Yeah, but as usual I'm the only one that can hear her." I looked around as we continued not recognizing anything that I was seeing. "This doesn't look like the way to the factory." I said.

"It's because it's not. The factory is back that way." He pointed slightly behind him and to the left. "We're going this way because this was the direction Simon headed, and he isn't too far now. It seems he found somewhere to hide out a few miles away."

"Oh." I said simply, secretly happy that we would finally have someone slightly more cheerful to be around. I risked a peak over to Derek, and debated a second. He _sounded_ fine, but his hand was still clutched to his bad side, and a bead of sweat had appeared already on his forehead. He was radiating heat again, and his eyes had a feverish look. Quickly connecting the symptoms to what happened before we made our escape, I decided finally to speak up.

"We need to stop." I said, stopping and crossing my arms, already getting ready for the argument that was headed my way. "You're hurt."

He paused in his stride, turning to look at me. "No. We have to find Simon before the group finds us."

I shook my head, refusing to back down. Albia flew down onto my shoulder, nestling into my neck, and Derek's glare turned even more icy at the sight of it.

"We're stopping. If you don't give your side a rest, you'll just be holding us back later." I looked up to the sky. "Besides, it's going to get dark soon, and I don't know about you and your… wolfy-senses…" I got a hard glare for that one, "But I can't run in the dark without seriously slowing us down." There was also the fact of his fever and his soon-to-be-coming change (if I was right about the fever correlating with it), but I felt that it didn't necessarily need to be mentioned yet.

He was silent for a moment, and I took a couple steps closer. "We're a good thirty minutes out from the car and any sort of trail. If they've already tracked the car, they'll assume that we're headed back toward the factory. They'll be heading in the opposite direction." Slowly, I put my hand on his arm, letting it rest there for a moment.

"Let me at least check your side, while there's still light out."

He looked down at my hand for a second, surprised, before looking at me. He searched my eyes for a second before his shoulders slouched, showing his defeat. I couldn't help the small victory smile that spread on my face.

"Fine." He grumbled, slowly pulling his arm away from my hand. I couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment, but quickly shook it off, too happy with my temporary victory.

" _Alpha indeed, though interesting that he's submitting to you… very interesting."_ Albia said, a hint of amusement in her voice. I looked quickly over to her in question for a second before turning my eyes back to Derek, who went over to sit and lean against the nearest tree.

I made my way over to him and kneeled down, waiting for him to show me his side. He grumbled something under his breath before lifting his shirt up a little, only giving me a small glimpse. I rolled my eyes.

"Derek, I need to actually be able to see it."

Huffing, he quickly removed the t-shirt he was wearing, grumbling that I wouldn't be able to do much about it anyway. While he was right, it was still good to see what exactly the damage was, and whether we would be able to make it the rest of the way after this one break, or if more breaks were going to follow.

I held in my gasp as the rest of him came into view.

Cuts were littered everywhere on him, making his arms look like child's-play. I lost count at ten cuts, moving on instead to the bruises that made his skin look like a patchwork quilt. The biggest and ugliest one being on his side, and I could see why he had been holding it all day.

I looked back up at him, eyes wide, as he looked away.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked quietly. He just shrugged.

"It's not as bad as it looks. Give it a day or two and they'll be gone."

I just shook my head, choosing to direct my attention toward his side, where the worst of the injuries were.

"Besides," He rumbled, a bit quiet. "I wasn't the only one to take a few hits."

Shaking my head, I gently prodded at the bruise, seeing if any sort of ribs were out of place or broken. My Aunt Lauren had made sure to teach me basic first aid when I was younger, always afraid that something might happen to me and she wouldn't be there to help. I found myself more and more thankful that I payed attention to these lessons, and that there were times where I would watch my aunt as she worked.

"Not as badly." I said quietly, focusing. The bruise was already so dark and so large, but other than that, and probably the tenderness of the area, Derek was fine. There were no broken ribs, which meant not having to worry about any sort of punctures or hospitals.

After my inspection, I leaned back, sighing a breath of relief. "Nothing's broken, just very deep bruising. After we rest up tonight, we should be fine walking the rest of the way. It'll just be painful." I said, looking back toward his chest.

"As soon as we get there, though, we'll have to clean these up, unfortunately it's too late to ice the bruises."

Derek just waved me off. "I'm aware. I know basic first aid." He reached back for his shirt, quickly putting it back on and leaning back against the tree. Seeing him closing his eyes, I took the hint that the conversation was over, and moved to the next tree over, Albia flying off of my shoulder and going up instead to rest on a branch. Liz had disappeared a while ago, but I assumed that since she knew where we were, she went off ahead to go explore or to go visit her family again.

After shifting for a couple minutes, I was able to find a somewhat-decent position, curled up and laying my head against a thick, stray root.

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 **I promise to work harder on updating sooner! Hope you enjoyed these past few chapters!**


	6. Chapter 6

**WHY HELLOOOOOO! Again, so sorry for taking so long to update! So much has happened, like getting pregnant and having a beautiful baby!**

 **Thank you to everyone who has favorited and reviewed! I'll continue working on the story, and thank you to everyone who has been patient enough to deal with me! I will try my best to keep on keepin' on!**

 **A/N: The characters belong to the wonderful Ms. Kelley Armstrong!**

It was later that night when I woke up to the sound of whimpers and heaving. I sat up quickly, my mind still fuzzy and confused. I was surrounded by trees, and I could smell the mud that had caked itself onto my clothes and hair. That ruled out home, the Lyle House, and the Edison main building. Bits were finally coming back to me as I slowly started waking up.

I was in the woods, we had just escaped. Derek….

 _Derek!_ I quickly got up and was able to make out that he was no longer in his original spot. I quickly scanned the area, panic slowly setting in.

 _Was he caught? Did something happen? Did he maybe…_

My thoughts stopped once I heard another heave. I immediately made my way over to the bushes, and after pushing a couple aside, found Derek hunched over, going through the same processes that he had started back at the Lyle House.

I quietly knelt down next to him, gently putting my hand on top of his. His head turned away from me slightly.

"Derek? It's okay, it'll pass again, okay?" I said quietly. I moved my hands from his and went instead to pet his back, making sure to rub gently and avoid any past scabs.

He simply nodded his head before heaving again. From the looks of it, he didn't have much to heave up. His frame was slightly smaller than it had been before, too. My suspicions of them neglecting to feed him enough while he was locked in his room were confirmed. I drifted back toward his changing, noting that his bones were moving again. Through his skin I could feel everything shifting as he let out a soft whine. Just feeling the shifting made me cringe at the thought of what he had to go through, but I quickly pushed the thoughts away, focusing instead on trying to be as comforting as possible.

I jumped slightly as Albia's voice popped in my head.

 _Poor creature, I've heard the first few changes are always the worst, though his are coming quite early..._

I looked away for a moment, trying to see where she was, but it was useless in the dark. I turned my gaze back to Derek, continuing to murmur small encouragements.

It was about fifteen minutes later when his muscles and bones slowly pulled themselves back together. His arms gave out from under him and his body slumped towards me. I grunted slightly at his weight, but helped him down slowly until a majority of his torso was in my lap. I shifted a bit, trying to get comfortable. He was on his side, his head turned away from me and his arm covering his face.

We sat there for a few minutes, Derek slowly trying to catch his breath. As weird as it was to have him this close to me, clad only in his underwear, I couldn't help but feel comfortable. He was radiating heat, and I couldn't help but lean into it a bit. Hesitantly, I brought up my hand and placed it gently on his shoulder, rubbing it slightly. He didn't make any move to brush me off - most likely too tired to - but I felt a small smile work its way onto my face. Albia silently returned to my thoughts.

" _Happy, are we child?"_ I jumped slightly again, forgetting that we had a third party. I quietly just shook my head as Derek stirred, removing his arm from his face and rolling on his back, closer toward me. I tried my best not to wince at the added weight and instead removed my hand from his shoulder to put it behind me, using it to lean back a bit and give Derek some space.

He looked up at me for a second, and from what I could see he was fighting off falling asleep. I laughed a bit, and his eyes narrowed before he lifted himself off of me.

"What's so funny?" He grumbled, moving to grab his clothes. Luckily, it looked like he hadn't put them that far, just a few feet to keep any sort of body fluids from flying on them. I shivered slightly, already missing the heat. I crossed my arms and pulled myself into a small ball, trying to keep what little warmth I had left.

 _I don't need him._ I thought grumpily to myself, hating how I already wanted him back. _I can produce my own heat, thank you!_

A quiet voice in my head chuckled. _Is that really why you're upset he moved away? Really?_

I shook my head, dispelling my thoughts. I _definitely_ didn't want to go down that train of thought right now.

"N-nothing." I said quietly. "You just looked like a child who's too stubborn to sleep."

I could tell that he was standing, and once I heard the whispers of clothing, I turned slightly and decided to toy with the grass between my fingers. Quietly I hoped that it was too cold out for any sort of ticks or other types of bugs to be out and about.

I looked back over toward him, surprised, when he sat down just a couple inches from me. At my look, he just shrugged.

"It's a bit cold." He grumbled out. I smiled a bit. It wasn't as warm as earlier, but it definitely was an improvement.

"Didn't think you cared." I said lightly. He just grumbled slightly.

"Like Simon said, I owe you after all the food you gave me." He grunted, laying back onto his elbows. A short burst of surprised laughter made its way out of me.

"I must be sleeping still. I didn't think you were capable of making jokes." I didn't have to see to feel the eyeroll he gave me.

After a moment of silence, Derek spoke again. "Has the bird spotted anything?" He asked, begrudgingly, not liking having to rely on something he didn't fully trust.

I shrugged, and waited a moment to see if she would respond. She did, almost immediately.

" _There's a couple cars parked next to the one you left, but the people inside are asleep, most likely waiting until morning to track you down."_

I relayed the message to Derek, who nodded. "Good." He stated. "It means that they are too busy with fixing the building to send the other supernaturals. If it were Diane, she wouldn't have waited."

I sighed a bit in relief, glad for that little miracle.

"We shouldn't relax too much, though. It's almost morning. As soon as you can see, we're heading out, Simon's trail is starting to grow weak."

"Got it." I said, stretching slightly. Feeling a bit tired, I lied down, curled up on my side, my back facing Derek. After hearing Derek shuffle a bit, I could tell that he lied down too, still keeping a careful distance between us.

As grumpy and distant as Derek was, I was starting to feel relieved that it was him whom I had escaped with. He was awkward, but he was smart, and he knew how to keep his distance. Simon was cute, kind, and super funny, but he wouldn't be able to sniff out Derek had we gotten separated. Besides, I was enjoying the space that I was getting right now.

Now that it was quiet, and Derek had most likely gone to sleep, my mind decided that now was the best time to reflect on everything. As I closed my eyes, thoughts of what the Edison group was up to and their rough treatments flooded my mind, producing horrifying images of what may have happened if Derek or I had stayed any longer. What would happen to Rae and Aunt Lauren? How could I have just left them?

A growing sense of guilt was starting to build, even though I tried to reason it away. Even though I knew it was unlikely for the Edison group to turn on the people who supported it, my mind worried. What would Aunt Lauren do now that her niece ran away… again? Would she help the group find us? Or would she go out on her own? What would she tell dad?

 _Dad._

I curled around myself a little tighter at the thought of him. He was alone for mom's anniversary, and who knew if he knew that I was gone? Would Aunt Lauryn even tell him? He was probably worried sick either way.

I quickly wiped the tears that were gathering and took a few steadying breaths. Bottling these kind of worries up probably wasn't healthy, but there wasn't any way for me to deal with it. Except…

I jumped up slightly, and turned to make sure Derek was asleep. From the looks of it, he was, and his soft snores told me that he wouldn't wake too easily.

"Albia…?" I whispered softly, looking around. I couldn't spot her, but I could hear the quiet shifting of leaves on the tree to my left. I turned my head over there.

" _Yes, child?"_ She answered back quietly. Her voice sounded drowsy, and I felt a bit bad for waking her.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. B-But I was wondering… if you were to get separated from us, would you be able to find your way back?"

She was quiet for a moment before she answered.

" _You want me to check in with something, don't you?"_

I nodded. "W-with a couple people, actually… O-once you had enough s-sleep of course." I whispered.

" _I'll be able to find you, however you would be outside of my protection while I'm gone. Why can't your ghost friend be of use?"_

"S-she's probably spending time with her family right now. I-I wouldn't w-want to interrupt that."

" _Fair. Once the two of you get moving, I'll leave as well. Who is it you want me to visit?"_

Quietly, I gave her the address of my house, telling her that dad should be home from his travels by now, and asking to also check on Rae and Aunt Lauryn.

Satisfied now that I hadn't completely abandoned them, I was able to finally close my eyes and get a little more rest before we headed out.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The first question that Derek asked when we woke up was where Albia had gone off to.

"I was worried about my dad, Aunt Lauryn, and Rae, so I asked her to go check on them for me." I said, trying to hold back a yawn as I stood and stretched. Sleeping on solid ground wasn't exactly what I was used to, but I had slept enough to feel able to walk for a bit. My stomach growled, and a small cramp made itself known in my side, but I did my best to ignore it.

I turned to look at Derek, who had already gotten up and was already starting to move out.

"Do you think we'll catch up to Simon today?" I asked, making sure I kept up with his stride.

He gave a nod. "His trail seems to be leading to the farthest part of town. If he's smart, he'll stay in a more public area."

I gave a small nod, relieved. If he was hiding out in another part of town, it meant that we would be there soon, and that we would be able to grab some food too. I slid my gaze toward Derek.

"Good, then once we find him, we should grab something to eat. If I'm hungry, I can't imagine how you're feeling."

He just grunted his response. Assuming that was the only answer I was going to get, I instead turned my attention toward the path and making sure not to trip or fumble as best as I could.

While I was graced with the gift of seeing the dead (not really a great gift, in my opinion), I was not gifted with the grace or stealth that Derek apparently was. Even though he had been sick last night, his strides were strong and quiet, and as much as I strained my ears, I could hardly hear the crunch of a leaf or the snapping of a twig. His footfalls were muted, and I mused that it might be part of his wolfy-ness. A predator trait, perhaps? Meanwhile, I was sounding more and more like a wild elephant trampling through rather than a 5'2" girl. It wasn't as if I was all that graceful, either. Tried as I might, it seemed as though every couple minutes I was stumbling over some root or rock. I tried slowing down a bit, but Derek refused to slow his pace, so instead I trekked on, praying that I would make it out without a broken toe or leg.

We traveled quietly this time, both on edge knowing that members of the Edison group were most likely up and trying to find us. It was around late afternoon when we had finally found the part of town that Simon's scent was strongest.

The edge of town was a bit run-down, but there were enough people milling about that if the Edison group did end up finding us, they wouldn't be able to take us in without becoming conspicuous.

I looked over to Derek, noticing the way his shoulders had tensed further, and how his permanent scowl seemed to darken. I felt on edge instantly, scanning around to make sure we were still unnoticed.

"What's up?" I asked quietly, waiting with him until the next couple of cars passed before we crossed the small street.

He peeked down at me for a second, seemingly surprised that I was still there, before glaring forward again and responding gruffly.

"Nothing. I'm just tired, must still be recovering from last night."

I nodded and looked forward, continuing to look around. No one suspicious had triggered my attention yet, everyone seeming to mind their own business. There were a few odd looks here and there, but I figured that was more because of Derek's size and looks rather than anything else. He was rather large, looking more like an adult than a teenager, and it probably didn't help that we were caked in dirt and that I looked twelve, especially compared to him.

 _Maybe they think he's babysitting me._ I thought, smiling a bit ruefully to myself.

" _Or that he's kidnapped you._ " a voice whispered in my head. I jumped slightly. Derek caught my twitch and stopped for a moment, scanning around. I shook my head and motioned him to continue, after whispering a quick, "Albia." He nodded and we continued on.

" _Albia? You're back?"_ I looked around a bit, trying to find her. " _Where are you?"_

" _Closer toward the forest. It would look even stranger if you were walking around with an owl on your shoulder."_ She said, amused.

She had a point.

" _I did what you asked, little one."_ She began, and I tried not to glare at the pet name. " _Your father is doing well, though troubled. He was on the phone with your aunt trying to schedule a meeting before he has to leave for China. She insisted that you were well, but visitation wouldn't be ideal at the moment. He was very upset."_

I nodded, a bit relieved that he hadn't found out yet that I was no longer at the Lyle house. The less he knew, the better. The less he knew, the least likely he would become a target. As much as I hated the group, I was glad that they were keeping our disappearance under wraps. It would mean that less people would be keeping an eye out for us.

" _I guess that means that Aunt Lauren is doing alright?"_ I asked, a bit hesitant. Derek and I seemed to be headed toward the center of the little area, coffee shops and little stores becoming more and more prevalent. By the way Derek was slowly increasing his speed, I assumed that we were nearing Simon. I couldn't help but have mixed feelings at this prospect. I was thankful for the quiet to work out my problems, however maybe a change of pace would help keep my mind from spiraling.

" _Indeed."_ Albia continued. " _Though she is feeling some heat from her superiors, she is out of harm's way. Same goes for Rae, she is unharmed, and no one suspects her due to her obvious loyalty. They will both be safe for now."_

I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that for now, everyone was safe - or, as safe as they could be. The only person left to really worry about was Simon, and seeing as though Derek was currently leading us across the street to a narrow alley, I figured that worrying about Simon was about to come to a close.

Once we crossed, Derek held out his hand, instantly stopping me from going any further into the alley. It was as dark as it was narrow, being shaded by the tall surrounding apartment buildings. By the smell, it was used mostly as a trash dumping sight, and I winced at how powerful the stench was. Looking at Derek and seeing his face twisted, I could only imagine how bad it was for him and his super senses.

I turned back to look into the alley when I heard footsteps and small whispers slowly approaching us.

"Wait!" the first voice whispered, "there's people over there. What if-"

"Well, obviously we'll make them move." The second voice snapped. I felt my stomach sink like a brick. Maybe the smell of trash wasn't what was making Derek glare like that…

"I'm fucking hungry, and if -"

The voices stopped abruptly as they came into sight. Simon was following Tori, a hand on her arm and the other holding onto the strap of his backpack. His clothes were mused and a bit muddy, but otherwise he looked fine. Tori was in a similar state, clothes dirtied up and her hair a mess. She looked about two seconds from punching Simon in the stomach, though when she noticed us, she pulled her arm back and chose to glare at us instead. Simon looked up from Tori, and at seeing Derek and I, give a giant grin. He pulled away from her and walked quickly up to us, reaching up to give Derek a quick hug, before pulling back and scanning him.

"You look like you've been through hell. You okay there, bro?" Derek merely shifted his shoulders a bit, doing a quick look over at Simon before returning his glare back to Tori.

Simon turned towards me and pulled me into his arms in a firm hug, squeezing me to him. I froze instantly, some of my scratches instantly becoming irritated. Before I could flinch or even think about making a move to return the hug, a snarl ripped through the alley and a heavy hand pulled me away. I looked up to Derek in surprise, seeing him glare at his brother from behind his back. A chill fell down my spine at Derek's contorted face, and for the first time, he looked and acted more wolf than human.

"Don't. Touch." His tone was flat, and almost came out as a growl.

A simple look at Simon's shocked - and somewhat hurt- face was all the confirmation I needed to know that this wasn't a normal occurrence.

"Derek?" I whispered, slightly worried. I gently touched his arm to grab his attention, and his head snapped over to me, making me flinch slightly at the suddenness of it. At that, his face paled and he pulled his arm away to wipe at his face, turning back toward Simon.

"She's injured." He grumbled in explanation, looking a bit apologetic toward Simon before looking back toward Tori, giving a slightly less terrifying glare. She stood off to the side, leaning against the wall looking at her nails as if we hadn't just escaped from her terrifying mother.

Simon was looking between me and Derek, confused. I decided to elaborate a bit, getting out from behind Derek.

"W-We didn't exactly have an easy time getting away… b-both of us are still a little on edge, I guess. W-We're both fine enough to keep going, though." I explained, looking to Derek for confirmation. He simply nodded his agreement, before getting to the next matter.

"Why is _she_ here?" He grumbled, his glare hardening even further. It was still a far cry from earlier, but it was enough that if I were Tori, I would run for the hills.

She, of course, didn't take the hint.

"I'm here because, unlike the two of you yahoos, I know how to escape without getting caught." She sniped.

"Or maybe because you cut a deal with your bitch of a mother to find us." Derek snapped back, apparently in no mood to deal with her bullshit. He straightened up, unconsciously (or consciously, I'm not sure) using his height to intimidate.

"Derek!" Simon admonished, still a bit surprised. Though Derek's wording was harsh, I couldn't help but agree slightly with what he called her.

Tori pulled herself from the wall and marched closer to us. Though she terrified me before, I stood tall next to Derek, mentally preparing myself for a fight, just in case. Tori was scary, but after facing her mother, I would rather fight her than the fully trained witch.

She stopped right in front of Derek, her slightly worn nails poking at his chest. Her snarl almost rivaled Derek's.

"If you think for one moment that I'd be caught dead helping her -" Derek brushed her hand away rather harshly, and before it could go any further, Simon and I stood between them, Simon pulling Derek back a step as I took on the full force of Tori's glare.

"Look, if we start a fight here, we'll most likely attract attention. Since it seems that _all_ of us are trying to escape, how about we find somewhere to eat?" I paused as I made eye contact with each of them, stopping Simon. "I don't know about you guys, but Derek and I haven't eaten since we escaped, and Derek wasn't given much food to begin with."

Tori glared me down for a couple more seconds before she tsked and sidestepped me, moving past Simon and Derek out of the alley.

"Fine. But I choose the place." She stated, already leading the way. I turned back toward Simon and Derek. Derek was glowering in Tori's direction as Simon turned and smiled at me.

"Food doesn't sound too bad there, movie girl."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: These wonderful characters belong to a Ms. Kelley Armstrong**

 **Enjoy! Don't be afraid to comment any suggestions, advice, or anything else you may feel like saying!**

What Tori had decided on was a small coffee shop that sat only a couple blocks from where they had squatted. The place was older, the outside of the building having a few holes here and there and the inside smelling slightly of moldy wood. Booths were littered around the walls with few small tables out in the open, only a few groups of people scattered about. Most of them were teenagers or young adults, allowing us to quickly order and find a booth in a darkened corner without looking too suspicious.

Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who had the foresight to bring their debit cards, though Derek insisted on Tori and I not using ours. He quickly whispered that if we did, we would be easily tracked down. He had a point, which was the only reason why Tori went along with it for now, stating that we better hit an ATM before leaving town. She would rather be strung up alive than owe us anything more than a couple dollars.

After sitting down and taking a few bites of our muffins and croissants, I finally spoke up, looking over at Simon and Tori across the table.

"So that night, how did you two find each other? How did you know when to escape, Tori?" I asked, slightly hesitant in addressing her. I wasn't too keen on ending up bound again.

She picked at her muffin for a second before answering.

"I woke up to the sound of the nurses banging around and yelling about Dr. Gil being knocked out and you guys missing. They came into my room and tried to restrain me, but I managed to get away." She looked at us then, a dark smile slowly crawling onto her face. "Looks like you guys aren't the only ones who inherited powers."

"So you're a witch then, like your mom?" I fought the chill that ran down my spine and looked back at her, unflinching.

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it Sherlock?" She snapped back. Simon quickly intervened, continuing on with the story.

"After she escaped, she eavesdropped on some of the guards nearby and heard that we were near the old factory. That's where we ended up meeting. It was right after Liz and I lost each other."

Tori perked up at the sound of Liz's name, and looked between Derek and I. I could feel the dread pooling in my stomach, already knowing what she was going to ask and wishing I knew how to explain what had happened.

"Do you know where she is? Or have an idea? Was she caught with you guys?" She asked.

I didn't answer her right away, looking to Derek for some help. He glared down at his food, putting it down gently, but not saying anything. I should've known better than to look to him for guidance on matters dealing with other people. He wasn't exactly a people-person to begin with. I looked down at my hands, hoping an answer would suddenly appear and trying not to remember all the blood that had stained my clothes.

I looked back up when Simon spoke again.

"What happened..? She's alright, right?" He asked hesitantly, looking to Derek. I looked over at Tori, noticing her face grow pale, her hands clenched at her drink.

"W-W-When we were hiding, D-Dr. D-D-Davidoff had found L-Liz and h-had her t-tied up." I started, shakily, looking between the two of them before looking back down at my food. My appetite had vanished rather quickly. I could feel myself choking up, but I pushed through anyway.

 _She isn't completely lost to me,_ I reminded myself. _I could call her over if I want, so there's no use in getting too upset right now._

I swallowed and continued. "H-He told us to give ourselves up, and threatened to shoot Liz if we didn't." I could see as both Simon and Tori stiffened, already assuming the worst.

Tori's glare could freeze hell.

"So you left her there?" She asked, voice just as cold.

I jumped up quickly, glaring back. "Of course not! I-"

Derek quickly cut me off, leveling his own glare at her. "Chloe jumped out to him as soon as she could, despite me asking her to wait." A quick glare in my direction before he continued, "I followed shortly after they bound her too, and after they found out she wasn't traveling alone." He turned and looked at Simon, his glare softening a bit.

"He had the gun pointed at Chloe. When I told him to put it down, he said that he still needed her. Liz, though…" He drifted off, leaning back and rubbing his eyes with one hand while crossing the other.

I looked over to Simon and Tori again. "They tranqued us after that," I looked over at Derek, and when he didn't deny anything, I continued. "We woke up locked in separate rooms. Rae's still there. She refused to believe me about Liz. And my Aunt Lauren..." I shook my head, still feeling a small sting of betrayal. "She works for them, but wasn't aware of Liz's death either."

Everyone was silent after that, staring blankly at the food in front of us.

It was Simon who broke the silence after a few minutes. His voice cracked slightly as he asked, "How did you guys escape? Were you…. Were you able to find anything on dad?"

Derek shook his head. "No, it seems that they're still looking for him, too." He looked to me. I took that as my cue.

"T-There was this … Underworldling… that was trapped there. She offered to help us escape, but I had to… unbind her, I guess, from the building. After that, escaping wasn't too difficult. She's still with us, helping, but too weak to take a human form. She's currently an owl." I said, feeling a bit awkward. It was always difficult to believe what I saw, and as a kid it was hard to explain it without sounding too crazy. Saying this now, outloud, made me feel like I _should_ be put into a home.

The look I was getting from both Simon and Tori weren't really helping either. Simon seemed confused, while Tori just looked down-right doubtful. I couldn't really blame her. At least Derek had seen the owl.

"Wait." Tori said. I looked up at her again, seeing something hopeful in her eyes. "You see monsters and stuff, right? You see the dead? That means you can still talk to Liz?"

I nodded, a small smile making its way onto my face. "Y-Yeah. She helped us e-escape too. Because of her powers when she was alive, she's able to move things as a ghost." I explained.

Tori looked as though someone had brought home a puppy. "So she's still around? Is she with us now? Can I talk to her?"

I hesitated a second. "Well, she's not here right now. I think she went to go see her grandma and her brother. But she said that she'll be back, and if something bad happens, I can always call her."

Tori calmed down a bit, but still seemed to be in a slightly better mood. Simon also looked a bit relieved, knowing that Liz wasn't completely lost to us.

The mood was somewhat lighter as we slowly finished our food. After all the trash had been thrown away, we sat back down to discuss what we needed to do next. Tori immediately brought up that we needed to stop by an ATM before we did anything, that way Tori and I weren't stuck relying on the guys.

"We also only have Simon's bag." I brought up. "Liz's and mine were taken, and Derek never had one to begin with. We should get some clothes and food before we leave town."

Simon nodded, shooting me a bright smile. "You're right. Supplies are a must if we plan on backpacking the state for a while." I gave a small smile back, trying not to dwell on how long I might be on the run.

"Have you guys even thought of where we're going to go?" Tori added in, her usual snark making its appearance.

Before Simon could respond, Derek cut in, his voice cold. "I won't give that information until I know that you won't stab us in the back."

Tori glared at him. "What the hell's your problem? I'm not going to help those assholes. They killed Liz, who knows what they're going to do to me when they catch up."

"My problem," he growled out, keeping his voice low. I looked around quickly, making sure that we hadn't caught anyone's attention. "My problem is that you apparently take after your mother."

"Don't you dare compare me to her!" Tori snarled. My eyes widened slightly as I caught a glimpse of small blue sparks coming from her fingertips.

"Guys…" I started, warning. Derek continued on as if I hadn't said anything.

"Oh?" He asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So I just imagined Chloe being beaten in with a brick? Just imagined finding her screaming in the basement, hands and feet bound?" His voice was dangerously cold.

Tori had gone pale, while Simon stared wide-eyed at the two of us.

"Is - Is that what happened?" He asked. He turned and stared at his brother, furious. "You told me she just threatened her! You didn't say anything about-!"

"I told him not to." I quietly interjected, already hating how much this was escalating. I glared slightly at Derek, but he just rolled his shoulders, leaning back into the booth and crossing his arms. His glare never left Tori. I turned back to Simon.

"We had enough going on, I didn't want to add the stress of Tori to it all. Besides," I said, looking over toward her, "we have a common enemy now. It would be stupid to attack while they're chasing us."

She glared at me for a moment, but looked away, agreeing and muttering something about not wanting to waste her time anyway. Glad that she took the hint, I turned back to Simon and Derek.

"She's in just as much trouble as we are. She needs to come too." I made my voice as hard as I could. Simon sighed, signaling his defeat in the matter, but Derek wasn't finished. He turned to look at me fully.

"She could've killed you. People have died from head trauma, not to mention that she had you gagged. She could have suffocated you without ever knowing. She probably didn't even check to see if you were still breathing! She even left you for the Shadow!"

I could hear Simon groan and mumble something about never being told anything, and my glare became harder. So much for keeping things to ourselves.

I had half a mind to rat out Derek about his near-changes, but I refused to sink to his level. I stared long and hard at him, sitting up to my full height. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get his attention. I spoke slowly, keeping my voice low.

"I don't want any more ghosts haunting me."

That caught him off guard, and for a moment, his gaze softened and his posture deflated. He quickly rubbed his eyes, mumbling a curse under his breath before turning back to Tori.

"Fine. But we have conditions."

She sighed and sat back, crossing her arms. "I guess that's fair."

Simon and I shared a smile in victory.

"One. I don't care about who you're crushing on or who you have a petty hatred for. We're running for our lives, we don't have time for that shit."

She glared, but nodded, motioning for him to hurry it up.

"Two. No more jabs or arguing. We need to work together, and I already have enough of a headache arguing with these two."

Simon shouted out a "Hey!" while I slightly kicked at his leg underneath the table. I cursed his super strength when he didn't even flinch.

"Fine, dog-man, I got it. Is that all?" I winced slightly at the nick-name. Simon must've filled her in on everything.

"Last, a warning. Since you like your dog jokes so much" he grumbled unhappily "...If you endanger us in any way - if I even get a lick of proof that you're working against us - I will not hesitate to throw you to the wolves. Do you understand?" He spoke slowly, diligently, each word slicing through the silence like a dagger.

"Derek -" I started, but Tori cut me off.

"I don't need you to protect me, Saunders. I can handle your puppy just fine." She turned her gaze back to Derek, while I stuttered out in surprise, denying that I had even hinted at something like that. Derek sat straight, his mood quickly switching from sour to downright anger, looking as though he were about to toss her through the wall.

She ignored everything and continued on. "I'll follow the terms, just don't expect me to be grateful for letting me join in on the fun."


End file.
